Keiko the killer whale proves irresistible
Despite the efforts of his keepers, some Norwegians still can’t resist Keiko the killer whale, including a little girl who spent hours playing the Free Willy film theme on her harmonica – just like in the film.
“That’s just the kind of thing we don’t need,” Colin Baird, Keiko’s trainer, said today.
Keiko, nearly 25, turned up in a western Norway’s Skaalvik fjord in early September after swimming 870 miles following his release off Iceland in July. Baird is part of the effort to return the whale to the wild.
The friendly orca drew hundreds of fans, allowing them to swim with him, pet him and even climb on his back, until he was so overrun with attention that Norwegian authorities imposed a ban on approaching him.
Astrid Morken, aged eight, didn’t have to break the rules. Perfectly legally, she sat on a dock and played her harmonica until Keiko approached, exactly like the character Jesse, the little boy who befriended Keiko in the Free Willy movies.
“It was great,” Astrid said. She played the refrain from the movie for nearly three straight hours, to Keiko’s apparent delight.
Her mother, Catharina, said Astrid has been obsessed with Keiko for years.
“When she was four, she asked for a harmonica, and we didn’t know why,” said Mrs Morken, 38.
“Then we saw her watching Free Willy on television and playing along with the little boy.”
She said Keiko clearly recognised the melody, and almost appeared to dance to it.
“Not many get to meet a Hollywood star, and she got to meet her biggest hero,” said Morken, adding that Astrid cried during their 80-mile drive home to the town of Skaun.
Astrid’s innocent passion for the whale illustrates the struggle his keepers face, with everyone from fans to aquariums wanting a piece of the star.
“I’m sorry I can’t get all warm and fuzzy about it,” Baird said.
He said people had been pretty good about leaving Keiko alone, with local residents in Halsa, the main village on the fjord, even turning out to help keep hordes of fans away from the whale.
But he said when one person can’t resist, it sends out the wrong image.
“This isn’t about playing with Keiko, or swimming with him, or playing the harmonica for him,” Baird said. “It is about trying to return him to the wild. ... We just want to be left alone.”
Baird and the American organisations behind the effort to rehabilitate Keiko are seeking a place in Norway where he can spend the winter under their care.
Last week, the Miami Seaquarium announced that it has applied to the US government to capture Keiko and bring him to their marine mammal park in Florida for his own protection.
“The Norwegian Fisheries Directorate, as the responsible authority, will not allow Keiko to be captured or commercially exploited,” said Olav Lekve, spokesman for the agency.
